1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wireless mobile phones. More specifically, the present invention relates to the data entry features of these devices.
2. Background Information
Advances in integrated circuit and telecommunication technology have led to wide spread adoption of wireless mobile client devices, in particular, wireless mobile telephones. Wireless mobile phones offer the advantage of enabling their users to be communicatively reachable by their business associates, friends and family members, wherever the users may be, as long as they are within the reach of the service networks. Thus, even non-professionals are increasingly dependent on their wireless mobile phones to meet their communication needs.
Many late model mobile phones also include a wide variety of ancillary functions, including but not limited to calendar, games, emails, web browsing, and so forth. Thus, users of wireless mobile phones, especially the late models, increasingly find themselves having to enter alphanumeric data. However, as those skilled in the art would appreciate, most mobile phones, because of space limitations, merely include a 12-key “numeric” keypad. Entry of alphabets require well timed pressing of the “numeric” keys. A quick press of the “2” key followed by a pause is necessary to enter the letter “a”, a quick double press of the “2” key followed by a pause is required to enter the letter “b”, and so forth. Thus, alphanumeric data entry under the prior art is cumbersome, and not user friendly.
Accordingly, a more user friendly approach to facilitating alphanumeric data entry into a wireless mobile phone, is desired.
Note: The term “wireless mobile phone” as used in herein (in the specification and in the claims) refers to the class of telephone devices equipped to enable a user to make and receive calls wirelessly, notwithstanding the user's movement, as long as the user is within the communication reach of a service or base station. The term “wireless mobile phone” is to include the analog subclass as well as the digital subclass (of all signaling protocols).